Neon Blood   Format: PS4 / PS5 Publisher: Meridiem Games / Astrolabe Games Developer: ChaoticBrain Studios RRP: £15.99 Click here to buy - store.playstation.com Age Restrictions: 16+ Release Date: 26 November 2024

The year is 2053, and humanity has been reduced to a single macropolis, Viridis, which is made up of two cities, the luxurious Bright City and the dystopian Blind City. Axel McCoin is a detective from Blind City who is all to aware of the injustices caused by the social separation between the two cities and the social inequalities that exist in society in general. You play as Axel, as he encounters powerful allies who will help him in his quest, as well as enemies who will stand in his way. In this neon lit cyberpunk world, Axel must navigate this big macropolis full of secrets to be solved...

Solve crimes as Axel McCoin, an ex-cop with an agenda

Neon Blood is a retro looking RPG adventure that sees you exploring the city as you solve crimes as Axel McCoin, an ex-cop with an agenda. Not only are you brought in to solve crimes, but you're also intent on overthrowing the established order in a bid to demolish the foundations of the corrupt society.

The game is incredibly short and you can easily blast through it in a few hours. I did feel like the game needed better gaming mechanics. The investigation aspect gets dull very quickly. You'll wander around the environment until you find the trigger to open up the next part of the game. For example, in the opening act you are at the crime scene and can talk to the three officers there who are in different rooms. However, until you talk to one of them you won't be able to progress to the next part of the scene, which may set you off looking for something that's hidden. Then you'll have to talk to another one of the police officers... etc. What this means is that you'll be constantly going up to each officer to see if they will tell you something different. If they don't, then you have to skip through the same conversation that you had with them last time you talked to them. And this gets annoying very quickly.

The graphics and music are well realised and the story has promise, but it never really delivers on it. Overall a retro offering that just falls short of being a game I can fully recommend. If you can pick it up for under £10 it's worth a gamble.

6

Nick Smithson